Recover my Heart
by magicallove3
Summary: Just a fun story I've had going in my head for awhile. First fanfict I've written in years though! Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING
1. Chapter 1

It was a really good crowd, I noticed while walking around the venue, praying no one would notice me. The last thing I needed tonight was to start a crazed frenzy. God damn, I needed a drink. We had been on tour now for a few months and, while I loved my band and being able to sing in front of perfect strangers, it was starting to take it's toll on me. I made my way to the bar while random men tried to ask me to dance. Thanks, but not right now. A cosmopolitan sounds divine right now.

"I'm sorry Mai-chan, you know I can't serve you right now!"

"But Caldenia!" I whined to the bartender.

"I'm sorry darling, but you know Yuui would just kill me if I inhibited your performance in anyway." She shrugged with a smile.

"Just one cosmo?" I begged. She shook her head no before walking off to help another costumer. I sighed and turned around in my stool to look towards the stage. Our opening band was pretty good. They certainly knew how to get the crowd excited.

I was nodding along to one of their songs when suddenly,

"Excuse me, miss?" I looked up to see a rather attractive man with shaggy blonde hair standing in front of me. I held my breath for a second, hoping he wouldn't realize who I was.

"Y—Yes?"

"I hope it doesn't seem too forward of me, but I noticed the bartender wouldn't serve you, so I felt obligated to get you this!" He smiled, handing me my drink of choice. I blinked, confused for a moment. I stared at him for a minute. He looked just like my boyfriend. I'd have to ask Yuui if he had a twin once I got back stage again.

"Um… th—thank you so much!" I knew I shouldn't take drinks from strangers, but he didn't have a bad aura about him. I took it from him and slowly took my first sip, savoring the delicious liquid.

"If you don't mind me asking, why wouldn't she serve you?" The man asked, sitting down beside me. His blue eyes were full of curiosity and I couldn't help but stare at them a moment longer than I should have.

"Ahh…" I struggled to think up a plausible excuse, taking the opportunity to take a long gulp of my drink, "Secret!" I finally answered, "Find me after the performance and I'll let you know."

"How will I find you?" His smile was sweet enough to make my heart melt a little bit. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a couple of backstage passes.

"Here!" I pointed over to a door that was guarded by a scary looking bouncer, "Take these to Al over there and tell him that Mai gave them to you."

"There you are!" I winced slightly as I heard Kyo's—my drummer—voice behind me.

"Yikes. Busted." I laughed.

"Yah you are you little twerp. Yuui has been freaking out! C'mon." He said, pulling gently on my arm.

"Sorry! I have to go! But come back after the show okay… Um… I didn't get your name!" I had to yell over the music.

"It's Fai." I barely heard before being pulled through the crowd and backstage.

"You're in troubleeee~" my bassist—Aki—sang as I was pulled into the dressing room. I giggled a bit feeling a bit tipsy all of a sudden. I knew I would get a lecture from Yuui, but I no longer cared.

"Mai! Where have you been!? We go on in five minutes! Come on now, you need to get dressed!" Yuui snapped. He always got anxious before we went on stage and wanted to make sure everything was perfect. I walked behind a screen and quickly began changing clothes with the help of some women on staff at the venue.

"Oh! Yuui! Do you have a twin?" I asked, completely ignoring his question and slipping on my dress.

"A twin? Are you drunk?" He asked sounding very confused and even more concerned. While one woman zipped up my tight dress another was putting a pin in my hair that contained a gorgeous arrangement of feathers and crystals. I only caught a glimpse of it, but there was one feather in particular that stood out and I couldn't wait to show it off on stage.

"No! But a guy bought me a drink and he looked _just_ like you!" I continued talking while slipping on my shoes.

"A guy bought you a drink?" I always forgot that he was the jealous type.

"Yuui! I love _you_, you dunce. It was nothing." I smiled at him. He continued to pout, though, so I stood up on the balls of my feet and gave him a gentle kiss.

"I love you too, Mai." He grinned, ruffling my hair lovingly, "But, no. I don't have a twin. That's pretty funny, though, that you met someone who looked just like me."

"Hey. Love birds. Show time." Kyo said, walking out the door.

"Show time!" I sang, grabbing Yuui's hand and following the rest of the band out the door. He pulled me back for a second, turning me around and kissing me passionately. He pulled away, smiling at me sweetly. The same smile that, that _Fai _gave me earlier. Yuui and I had been together for over two years now, and yet, his kisses still took my breath away.

"Break a leg." He grinned before dragging me to my place in the wings of the stage.

"**Now presenting**" the announcer began, "**Mai and the Starry Wings!**" Everything went dark and I took that as my cue to run as fast as I could to center stage before Yuui started his guitar solo. I made it to my spot right as the first chord rang out.

"How the fuck are you!?" I yelled into my microphone over the screaming fans when my spotlight turned on.


	2. Chapter 2

"You all have been a fantastic crowd." Yuui said happily into his microphone and he definitely wasn't lying. The crowd had joined us in every song either by dancing or singing or cheering. It was a fabulous feeling!

"You're right, Yuui! They've been the best yet!" I grinned, surveying the darkened faces, pretending like I could see them through the blinding stage lights.

"You know, Mai. There's been something I've been wanting to ask you lately but I didn't know the right way to ask." Yuui said, handing his guitar to a backstage worker before walking closer to me.

"Oh yah? And what's that, love?" I asked. Before he could reply, the drums started. He started to play a song I had never heard before:

It's a beautiful night,

We're looking for something dumb to do.

Hey baby,

I think I wanna marry you.

I gasped, putting my hands over my mouth. I could hear girls screaming in the audience about how cute this whole situation was.

Is it the look in your eyes,

Or is it this dancing juice?

Who cares baby,

I think I wanna marry you.

He gently took my hand in his and continued his serenade, while my eyes began to tear up from happiness.

Well I know this little chapel on the boulevard we can go oh oh oh,

No one will know oh oh oh,

Oh, come on, girl.

Who cares if we're trashed got a pocket full of cash we can blow oh oh oh,

Shots of patron,

And it's on, girl.

Don't say no, no, no, no-no;

Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah;

And we'll go, go, go, go-go.

If you're ready, like I'm ready.

Cause it's a beautiful night,

We're looking for something dumb to do.

Hey baby,

I think I wanna marry you.

Is it the look in your eyes,

Or is it this dancing juice?

Who cares baby,

I think I wanna marry you.

I'll go get a ring let the choir bells sing like oooh,

The rest of the boys joined in, in order to harmonize. Damn. They were all in on it and they didn't tell me to wear waterproof make up!

So what you wanna do?

Let's just run girl.

If we wake up and you wanna break up that's cool.

I shook my head 'no' at this line! There was no way I would ever want to break up with this man.

No, I won't blame you;

It was fun, girl.

Don't say no, no, no, no-no;

Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah;

And we'll go, go, go, go-go.

If you're ready, like I'm ready.

Cause it's a beautiful night,

We're looking for something dumb to do.

Hey baby,

I think I wanna marry you.

Is it the look in your eyes,

Or is it this dancing juice?

Who cares baby,

I think I wanna marry you.

As he ended the song, he got down on one knee and pulled a ring out of his pocket.

"Mai. My love. My best friend. There is no one I would rather spend the rest of my life with than you. Will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?" I could only nod as the tears escaped my eyes and ran down my cheeks.

"O—of course!" I someone managed to sob out before throwing myself into his arms. He hugged me tightly as the crowd went wild. He gently pushed me away just enough to slip the ring onto my left hand.

"SHE SAID YES!" Aki yelled into his microphone. Yuui stood up, pulling me up in his arms with him and held me in front of our fans.

"Ladies and gentlemen! We're engaged!" He said happily as I waved at everyone and the lights dimmed. Once it was dark, he slammed his lips to mine and I could feel his excitement radiating through his kiss. He eventually was forced to break away from me so we could actually get off the stage. Yuui gently set me back on my feet once we were backstage and I honestly felt like I was on cloud nine. I could not have been happier.

"Hello?" I heard someone ask, breaking me away from my blissful ignorance of everything around me. It was the man from earlier! In the brighter light I could see he was wearing a dark blue suit and really did look just like Yuui.

"I hope we're not intruding." He continued. I then noticed that he also had several friends with him.

"Not at all, man! We were just about to celebrate!" Aki explained, popping open a bottle of champagne, "I'm Aki." Introductions were probably a necessity in a situation like this.

"I'm Fai D. Flowright, this is Syaoran," He said pointing a boy looking no older than seventeen, "this cute girl here is Sakura," she really was a cute girl! Her pink dress definitely seemed to match her appearance perfectly, "and this dark one is Kuro-puu."

"**IT'S KUROGANE**!" The tallest of the group roared angrily.

"Okay, so, Kuro-puu then?" I smiled, teasing the stranger a bit. He just glared at me.

"Well, I'm Yuui." My _fiancé_ started, "This is Aki and Kyo. And you seem to already know Mai."

"Ah, yes! Congratulations to the both of you." Fai grinned at us. It almost seemed sad, but right then I didn't take much notice of it.

"Thank you!"

"Um.. Mai-san?" the boy named Syaoran began timidly.

"Yes?"

"I—I have a favor I must ask of you." He spoke so formally, it caught me a bit off guard.

"Of course, what is it?" I smiled at him, hoping to relieve any tensions he had.

"That feather you have, in your hair, could you please give it to me? It belongs to Sakura and it is something very important to her and—"

"Absolutely!" I cut him off before he began to ramble. I pulled the piece out of my hair and handed it to the kid. The group stared at me in disbelief.

"Th—Thank you so much!" Before I could respond, there was a sudden explosion from outside our dressing room.

"Fuck." I heard Kyo say under his breath.

"**WHERE IS SHE**?" a loud and familiar man yelled.

"H—How did h—he find me?" I stammered, backing away from the sound, "We—We have to get out of here!" This man has caused way too much destruction to stay around for very long. I tried to open the window in our room but it was sealed shut for _'our own protection.'_ Ironic.

"No. This ends tonight. We can't run forever Mai." Yuui told me, heading for the door.

"Bu—"

"No buts. We're finishing this." Aki cut me off before walking out with Kyo and Yuui. Syaoran and Kurogane followed after them. I felt my body give out on me and I fell to my knees.

"Mai-chan!" someone called out. Sakura and Fai were suddenly by my side.

"You don't have to worry, Kuro-puu will take care of anyone that gets in his way!" Fai explained trying to make me feel better. All of a sudden, though, we heard a loud scream that sounded like Yuui. Without a second thought, I leapt to my feet and ran for the door.

Fai's Point of View

There were so many things about this new world that caught me off guard. I could feel magic everywhere but no one seemed to realize it was there to be used. This girl we had just met seemed to have the strongest magical abilities I have been able to sense in a long time but even she seemed oblivious to her own skill. That wasn't even the weirdest part though. _I _was here. Well, my essence was here. It had been so long since I had heard my own name that now it sounds foreign to me. _Yuui_. He had just gotten engaged too. No wonder I felt such a strong connection to Mai when I first saw her. I wonder if her essence was in Celes. I wonder if I would have ever met her had my life turned out differently. That's a thought for a different day. Right now, my other self was off fighting some unknown villain and I am here.

"Mai-chan!" I heard Sakura gasp. Without realizing it, I had moved next to her and felt the need to comfort her.

"You don't have to worry," I assured her, "Kuro-puu will take care of anyone that gets in his way!" It wasn't a lie. He really did have the skill to cut down anyone he needed to. She suddenly jumped up and ran to the door.

"Mai-chan?" I asked, prepared to stop her if need be. She turned around and stared at me. Her eyes had gone completely blank and a single tear ran down her cheek. Before I could say anything else, she grabbed one of the musical instruments her friend was playing earlier. As she lifted it, the instrument began to glow and change it's shape to form a sword. She may have been unaware of her magic, but it was now taking over her.

"I'm going." She said before running out of our sight.

"W—Where is she going, Fai?" Sakura asked me.

"To protect someone she cares about, at least, that's where I would be going." I grinned down at the young girl, hoping to comfort her a little.


	3. Chapter 3

Mai's Point of View

"Mai!" I could hear someone calling my name, "Mai! C'mon, Mai! Wake up!" Who was that? Everything was hazy and dark. I forced myself to blink a couple of times to clear away the haze. My face felt wet and I could feel blood dripping down my arm. What happened?

"M—Mai…" I heard a softer voice than before speak. I then realized I was on the ground and there was a heavy weight in my lap. I slowly looked down and saw something I had hoped I would never have to see.

"Y—Yuui…?" I felt like I couldn't breathe. I realized my face was wet from crying. Yuui was leaning against me on the ground, covered with his own blood. He was dying. The love of my life, the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with, my best friend, my one and only… was dying.

"I—I'm s—so sorry, my l—love. H—He got away." He coughed up a bit more blood.

"Yuui... No, p—please don't l—leave me." I sobbed, hugging him close to me. I couldn't live without him.

"I—I loved y—you, Mai. I a—always will." Despite the pain he was obviously in, he smiled at me.

"I—I love you. You—you're going to be okay!" I cried more. I knew he wouldn't be. He knew he wouldn't be. He had lost so much blood. He moved his hand up to rest against my cheek. It felt so cold. I placed my hand over his and held it tightly.

"Be b—brave, okay? I'll al—always be with y—you. I love you." His eyes slowly shut and his arm grew too heavy to hold. He was gone. I thought I was going to throw up. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. I couldn't even think.

"Come on, Mai." Someone said, pulling me up by my arms. I didn't know whom, I didn't really care either. I couldn't take my eyes off of the bloody body of the man I loved.

"Alright doll, if you're not going to use your legs," I felt myself lifted off the ground, "We'll just have to carry you." I finally tore my eyes away from Yuui and looked up to see Kyo holding me. I opened my mouth to try and speak but nothing came out.

"Mai." I heard Aki say sympathetically before petting my head, "You have to go." Everyone was shocked by this statement.

"What the fuck, man? What do you mean she has to go!? She has to stay right here with us!" Kyo yelled back, holding me tighter. I watched as Aki smiled sadly and shook his head 'no.'

"You guys have a way to talk to Yuuko, don't you?" Aki asked our new friends.

"Ah…" they all hesitated.

"Mokona can talk to Yuuko!" a new voice spoke. It was high pitched and happy sounding. Suddenly, a white, rabbit-looking, thing jumped out from Syaoran's jacket.

"What the fuck is that thing?" Kyo asked, surprised.

"Mokona is a Mokona!" It said before the jewel on it's head lit up and an image of a tall woman in black appeared out of nowhere.

"Ah, hello Mokona. Aki, it has been awhile." The woman said, "Is this the girl?"

"Yes, this is Mai." He explained, "Mai, this is Yuuko. She is known as the dimensional witch and if you ask her to she will send you to different dimensions with these people. You have to go. If you stay here then Ashu will find you and kill you."

"Ashu?" I heard someone ask behind us.

"That was who we were just fighting." Someone replied.

"I want to die." I said honestly.

"Mai…" Kyo whispered, I could hear the hurt in his voice, but I was so numb from pain I couldn't sympathize.

"You're not going to die. We will send you away by force if necessary." Aki's voice took on a very dark tone. He was normally so happy-go-lucky, but when he spoke, darkness had taken over his words.

"You know I require compensation." Yuuko said.

"How does Aki know Yuuko?" Mokona asked.

"I helped him run away once." The witch replied simply, "In order for this girl to travel through dimensions I require her engagement ring." I stared up at her, clutching my left hand tightly.

"Please, Mai. I know it's hard and I know you don't understand right now, but please. You have to go with them. Kyo, please let her down." Aki pleaded. I was set back on my feet but Kyo kept his hands on my shoulders to make sure I didn't fall.

"Give it to her Mai." Kyo said.

"B—But—"

"Look, you trust Aki, right?" I nodded, "I do too. Do what they say." I took a deep breath, looking over at Yuui's body and could have sworn I heard him say _'be brave.'_ Taking a step away from Kyo, I slid the ring off of my finger and held it out in front of me. It flew out of my hand and into Mokona's mouth.

"You're doing the right thing. These guys will look after you." Aki told me, "You have to go _now_ though." I tried to take a step toward the group I would now be traveling with across dimensions—whatever that really means—but I had lost all of my strength and my legs gave out on me. Luckily, Aki caught me just before I hit the ground and lifted me up. He handed me over to Kurogane.

"Be safe." My band mate told me. I didn't know what was happening. I was so lost, so hurt, and so damn confused.

"Mokona Modoki ready to go!" Mokona cheered before jumping up in the air. The little rabbit-like thing suddenly sprouted wings and encircled us. Colorful lights and winds appeared from thin air and suddenly we were in an endless tunnel surrounded by dotted lights. Despite the fear that gripped my stomach, I couldn't help but look back. I wanted to be able to see Yuui just one last time, but there was only the tunnel.

"Are you alright?" A singsong voice asked. I looked back to see Fai floating next to Kurogane and I. He really did look just like Yuui. I tried to form words, but my eyes just ached and began to tear up again. I buried my face into Kurogane's shirt, I couldn't even bare to look at this stranger who shared the same face as Yuui.

Suddenly, I felt as though we were falling. I couldn't help but let out a noise of surprise as we were expelled from the tunnel and dropped in the middle of a market place. I felt myself go flying out of Kurogane's arms and land on something much softer and warmer.

"Lookie! We're safe and sound in a brand new world!" Mokona cheered.


	4. Chapter 4

"Lookie! We're safe and sound in a brand new world!" Mokona cheered.

"I don't know why I was expecting to see my home." I heard Kurogane whine.

"Come now, Kurgs," I felt whatever it was I landed on say, "You didn't expect it to be that easy, did you?" I managed to actually look around and see that we had landed in the middle of a market place and the soft thing I had landed on was Fai. He smiled sadly at me while I struggled to get out of his lap. I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

"Out of my way! Explain yourselves now! Just who are you and what are you doing here!?" someone exclaimed out of nowhere. I looked up to see a tall, scary looking man in feudal clothing standing in front of Sakura.

"Oh dear, we seem to have gathered an audience." Fai said nonchalantly.

"Mokona's the center of attention!" The furry little creature sang, jumping up onto my shoulder and startling me slightly.

"This isn't a game." Kurogane pointed out.

"You're coming with me little girl." The villainous looking man said, grabbing onto Sakura's arm. I froze, unsure of what to do. I knew we needed to help her, that much was obvious, but I didn't know how. When she pulled her arm back, Syaoran suddenly leapt forward, kicking him and sending him flying.

"Uh-oh." Fai chuckled.

"Oh wow." I couldn't help but say under my breath.

"Hey kid! Do even have a clue who you're messing with? Or what kind of trouble I can make for you?" He threatened, his pride obviously more hurt than his face.

"STOP IT!" A voice from above yelled. We all looked up to see a girl—who looked even younger than Sakura—standing on the wall, "Don't mess around with people you don't know!"

"Chunhyang!" the scary man snapped, "You little—"

"You and your father were nothing but homeless magicians a year ago!" the girl known as Chunhyang explained.

"How dare you! You should know what will happen if you say something like that!" Suddenly, someone ran up to the scary man and whispered something to him, "You got lucky this time you little brat." The man ran off.

"Are you hurt at all, Princess?" Syaoran asked.

"I'm fine, thank you." She smiled back at him. They were so in love. It was so easy to see, but they spoke so formally to each other.

"Syaoran's amazing~!" Mokona sang, imitating one of his kicks.

"Ah, maybe we should help them clean up?" Syaoran suggested, ignoring Mokona's complement. We all began helping people clean up the mess we had made. While everyone chatted happily with each other and the people of the market, I couldn't help but force myself to be lost in the work. I couldn't even get myself to speak. My heart hurt too much to really function well.

"How are you feeling, Mai-chan?" Fai asked me, quietly. I just stared at him, trying to force myself to smile or say something, but I felt mute. It was as if I was staring at the ghost of my fiancé. I felt as though someone had ripped out my heart and shredded it to pieces. Without a response, I turned back to my work and picked up several more potatoes. I could feel him staring at me but did my best to ignore him.

"You look weird." The young girl said, pointing at all of us.

"Ah ha ha! She said you looked weird Kuro-rin!" Fai laughed, moving his attention to Kurogane who then exploded with anger.

"If I'm weird then you're weird too!" He yelled back.

"Are you…?" Chunhyang started as if she had realized something, "Come with me!" She grabbed Sakura's hand and began to drag her off. Syaoran immediately chased after the pair with Kurogane not too far behind. I was only able to make it a single step before my exhaustion and depression finally caught up with me, sending me to the ground with a loud **_thud_**. I knew I should want to catch up with everyone, but as I lay there in the dirt, I no longer cared to move.

"Oh, Mai-chan. What are we going to do with you?" I heard someone say sorrowfully before I was lifted into the air. My eyes shot wide open in surprise. I stared into the familiar blue eyes I had once loved and felt tears rush to my eyes. I wanted to die. I wanted to ask him to kill me. I wanted to ask him to leave me here to die. I really wanted him to put me down, but I knew if he did, I wouldn't be able to move. He smiled at my startled expression before hurrying to catch up to the rest of the group.


	5. Chapter 5

We followed the young girl back to her home with Fai carrying me the whole way. I don't remember much about the walk there, or even what was being said. My mind kept drifting in and out of conscious thought. I was sitting in the corner of the room while Chunhyang questioned Syaoran and Sakura. I could feel Fai looking over his shoulder at me every few minutes while he inspected random objects around the young girl's house.

"Amenosa?" I heard Sakura ask.

"They're spies who work for the government! They go around and investigate each region and if their leaders are indulging in their personal interests or greed, they make sure that the people are not oppressed… like us…" Chunhyang explained.

"It's Koumon Mito!" Mokona sang, pulling me out of my trancelike state.

"W—What is that thing?" Chunhyang asked.

"I'm Mokona!"

"Ah… He's our mascot." Fai told her, moving to join the others. With his back to me, he introduced all of us. While he spoke, I couldn't help but stare at him. He was hunched over, putting all of his weight on the balls of his feet, just like Yuui used to crouch whenever he would sign autographs for children. His legs were long, but strong. It was easy to see from his movements and his posture that he knew how to move quickly yet gracefully. His torso was very long as well, despite his back being curved by his pose I could still tell. I tried to stop myself, but I couldn't help myself from looking up at his face. His blonde hair had fallen in front of his face a bit, but I could still see his smile. There was something about it that struck me as odd. It didn't look genuine. It almost looked… sad. It made my broken heart hurt even more. His features were soft but there was something about him that looked defeated. I couldn't bring to tear my eyes away from him, even when I saw him turn his head back to look at me. His aqua eyes held so much sorrow and, even though he smiled slightly at me, I could almost feel his pain. What happened to you to cause you so much agony? I found myself wanting to get up and hug him and let him know that everything would be alright, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything but stare back at him.

"Anyway," Fai continued, turning away from me once more, "the ruler of this place is evil; therefore, people here are waiting for the amenosa to show up and save them?"

"He's the worst!" Chunhyang said, tears appearing in her eyes, "And he… my mother…" Before she could explain further, the wind outside began to pick up, causing a very unnatural sound.

"Is that the wind?" Fai asked as he and Kurogane moved towards the door.

"Don't go outside!" Chunhyang yelled right before part of the roof caved in and a tornado like wind began to swirl around the house. I felt my body being pulled from the ground and dragged towards the tornado. I opened my mouth to try and scream, but no sound came out. I wanted to call for help and it terrified me that I could not. _Please, someone. Help me…_ I was almost pulled into the center of the tornado when something warm slammed into the side of me, forcing me away from the source.

"That wasn't the normal wind, was it?" Fai asked, sounding very close to me. I looked around the room, unable to locate him, until I finally realized that it was him who had saved me from flying away. I suddenly wondered how I kept ending up in his arms.

"It was our _leader_! He did it!" Chunhyang yelled, looking up at the hole that was now in her ceiling. I yawned slightly, not meaning to seem rude, but I was so exhausted I couldn't help it.

"Ah, Chunhyang," Fai began, looking down at me, "Do you happen to have a room Mai-chan can rest in? She's had a very long day."

"Of course!" Fai handed me over to Kurogane as Chunhyang explained where to go in the house.

"Kuro-puu can handle that," he smiled, "I wanted to talk to you a bit more." Kurogane grumbled before storming out of the room and down the hall. He walked into Chunhyang's bedroom and set me down on the futon. I looked up at him to find him staring down at me as if he was having an internal struggle to say something or not.

"You haven't said a single word since we left your room." He finally pointed out. I just continued to look at him. "Come on, say something. Scream. Bitch. Yell. Something."

"I—I'm s—sorry." I said softly. His eyes widened a bit at my apology.

"Why?" He asked, his rugged harshness darkening his voice a bit. I couldn't answer that. I had no idea why I was sorry. I just didn't know what to say, I hurt too bad to even speak.

He sighed, "Get some sleep, kid. You'll feel better when you wake up." He left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I rolled over onto my side and stared at the emptiness next to me. This would be the first time in almost two years that I would sleep alone. I pulled my knees up to my chest suddenly feeling ill and forced my eyes shut.


	6. Chapter 6

I don't know how long I was asleep for, but when I awoke I could hear a hammer on the roof and Kurogane complaining about having to do all the work. I pulled myself off the bed and began to rummage around the room looking for some other clothing to borrow. It didn't take me long to find an outfit hung up on the back of the door with a note written in some foreign language. I couldn't understand anything written, but I could make out my name so I made the assumption the clothing was for me. It was a long dress with a pair of pants or leggings to wear underneath. The fabric of the dress was a very light blue with white detailing around the neckline. I slid off my dress, not realizing that it was the same one I had performed in only a day ago. I wondered what our publicist would tell fans as I pulled on the leggings. How were the others doing? They just sent me off without any explanation. I didn't even really know what had happened or how he…

My thoughts were cut off as I heard the door open. I turned to look over my shoulder and saw Fai standing there, his face turning red. It took me a second to realize why. As he slammed the door back shut, it hit me that I hadn't had time to put my dress on yet, so I was standing there only wearing a pair of leggings. I felt my own face heat up significantly. I pulled the clothing on in a rush and then darted for the nearby open window. I slid my new shoes on quickly before jumping out of the room and running away from the house.

"H—Hey! Kid! Where are you going!?" I heard Kurogane yell. I ignored him and kept running. I had no idea where I was going, but I was embarrassed, I was confused, and I was a runner in school. Whenever I had a problem, running could fix it. It couldn't bring back someone from the dead, but it certainly could help me clear my mind and make my heart stop hurting for a while. Once I could no longer hear familiar voices calling after me, I slowed my pace a little bit and began to take in my surroundings. It was beautiful. But it looked nothing like where we had been before. I know I had heard something about _new worlds_, but we couldn't possibly be in a world other than my own, could I?

"Hyuu~ You're fast Mai-chan!" I heard someone say. Without stopping, I looked next to me to see Fai jogging happily beside me. For a brief moment I considered quickening my pace and trying to outrun him, but his legs were so much longer than mine, I knew that would be nearly impossible.

"Ah… yah." I said back.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Mai-chan. I was just trying to check on you and—" He started to explain.

"I—It's fine, I'd rather not talk and run." I lied. I loved having a running partner, someone to talk to, but I really didn't want to talk about _that_.

"Okay~!" He grinned, keeping pace with me.

We continued on like that in silence for a little while. He respected my request for silence, but there were so many things I wanted to ask him. I felt comfortable being next to him, something about his presence calmed me. I knew I shouldn't get too close to him. He just looked so much like…

"Mai-chan? Are you okay?" Fai asked me. I didn't realize I had stopped running until he spoke. I had my hands on my knees and was panting from exhaustion.

"S—shit. I—I haven't r—run like that in f—forever." I couldn't stop myself from smiling, "B—Being on tour r—really tires a person out." I looked up at him and found a shocked look on his face, "What?"

"You have a beautiful smile, Mai-chan." He grinned at me. I felt my face heat up and turn bright red at his comment. I couldn't help but break eye contact with him and stare at the ground to hide my face.

"Th—thank you." I mumbled.

"Stop it please!" We suddenly heard someone yell.

"What was that?" We both asked, looking up towards a small store. We saw Syaoran, Sakura, and Chunhyang heading towards the scene of the commotion and before we knew it, we were running again.

"This is what happens when you don't pay your taxes!" It was that horrible man from earlier. He had some sort of whip in his hand and was about to strike a defenseless old man. As we tried to run faster to get to them and help, Syaoran leapt in front of the man, grabbed hold of the whip, and somehow managed to use it's force in a kick right to the evil man's face.

"Fai-kun! Mai-chan!" Sakura said in surprise as we helped her move the old man and woman to a safe distance.

"Hello, Sakura-chan!" Fai grinned at her.

"Get out of my way!"

"I won't!" Syaoran said back.

"I'll teach you a lesson of what happens with the Ryanban!" He suddenly pulled out a large decorative fan, forcing Syaoran off of his arm.

"That fan!" Chunhyang exclaimed. All of a sudden, a strong wind like from before appeared out of the fan. Being more conscious of my surroundings this time, I braced myself, trying to stand my ground and not get pulled into the wind again. I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist, keeping me in place until the wind died down.

"That was my mother's fan! It is not supposed to be used for evil! She tried to use it to stop them when they pushed out the old Ryanban but th—they killed her!" Chunhyang yelled over the wind. The tornado threw Syaoran to the ground. That landing must have hurt.

"Now you see the true power of the Ryanban." He laughed as the wind died down.

"Are you okay?" Fai whispered in my ear, slowly removing his arms, and sending shivers down my spine. I nodded, not trusting myself to not stutter if I tried to speak. I took a step away from him, trying to put some physical distance between us.

"You wouldn't be able to do anything without using weapons that don't belong to you!" Chunhyang cried.

"Oh, yah?" He smirked, an evil glint in his eye. He threw the fan up in the air and as it caught the wind it opened up and was quickly destroyed by debris from the tornado.

"No!" the young girl exclaimed, dropping to her knees as the remnants of the fan fell in front of her. The villainous bastard laughed while walking away.


	7. Chapter 7

"They're home! They're home!" Mokona sang as we walked into the house.

"Something happened?" Kurogane asked, noticing Chunhyang's defeated look and posture. Syaoran and Chunhyang explained everything that had happened that afternoon. As we spoke, the look in Kurogane's eyes became more and more determined as if he was ready for a battle.

"After getting beaten up that bad," he said once the explanation was finished, "why don't we beat up the Ryanban right now?"

"We've tried." Chunhyang replied, "A lot of times. But you can't lay one finger on the Ryanban! The palace that they live in has something protecting it so nobody can get in."

"That must be the mysterious power that Mokona felt." Fai concluded.

"There's a lot of that mysterious power, and I can't figure out if any of it is from the feathers." Mokona explained. Feathers? Like the one from my hairpiece from that night…? I had so many questions and I needed to start asking them soon.

"How about the son?" Fai asked, "Can we take him hostage and torture him until he talks?" I couldn't help but stare at him. He had that same giant smile on his face while talking about something so horrible.

"Well, Fai, you sound like you have some experience." Kurogane admired. Fai just grinned innocently in return.

"That wouldn't work. The Ryanban is always watching, he wouldn't let his son walk into a trap." The young girl explained. While she spoke, I couldn't help but notice Sakura worrying over Syaoran's wounds.

"From what I heard, a year ago, the Ryanban suddenly got a lot of power, does it have to do with Sakura-chan's feather?" Fai mused, catching Syaoran's attention.

"How could it? She said the power came a year ago but the kid's feathers were only lost recently." Kurogane objected.

"The dimensions are different, so maybe time passes differently too." Fai replied, seeming to make sense.

"I'll go check if the feather is at the Ryanban's." Syaoran said, suddenly standing up, ready to charge into battle.

"Syaoran-kun! Wait! You're hurt…" Sakura grabbed onto his arm, trying to stop him.

"I'm fine, Princess." Syaoran smiled, trying to convince her. _Princess_? He's called her that before. How did I miss that? Where in the world do they still have princesses? Or… I guess I should ask, which _worlds_ still have princesses?

"Don't worry," he continued, looking down at her, "If your feather is there I'll get it for you." He loved her so much. The look in his eye reminded me of how Yuui used to look at me… I would never be looked at that way again. Before I could allow myself to continue with that train of thought, Fai's voice interrupted me.

"Wait a second, Syaoran." The younger boy looked at him, concerned, "Do not worry, I'm not going to stop you, but, Ryanban's power is pretty strong, so just going there won't work, you need to at least break the spell at the entrance."

"Can you do anything?" Kurogane asked, sounding annoyed.

"Nope, not at all!" The blonde smiled happily. Just as Kurogane started to yell about how Fai shouldn't talk like he knows everything if he couldn't do anything about it, Mokona chimed in.

"Let's ask Yuuko!" The fur ball yelled excited as the jewel on its forehead began to glow.

"Oh Mokona, hello." The woman with dark hair from before spoke. Her presence seemed to startle Chunhyang, "Ah, Mai. You seem to be looking better." My face heated up, I wasn't expecting her to even notice me.

"Y—Yes ma'am." I replied, startled.

"Good. So, you all want to break the spell and go into the palace." She said without anyone asking anything of her.

"Yes." Fai answered her.

"But why call me? Fai, can't you use magic?" Yuuko asked. I stared at him in confusion. _Magic_? Have I stumbled into a fucked up fairytale? Different world. Magic. Princesses. Evil kings. Shit.

"I gave you the source of my power." He smiled. There was so much behind that smile. He almost looked… worried.

"That tattoo that I got only had the ability to suppress your magic, but it was not the direct source of your powers." He had a tattoo? I tried to picture dark ink on this pale man and I couldn't stop myself from picturing different colors and designs on different parts of his body.

"But still, I have a rule not to use magic without it." He explained.

"Fine." Yuuko sighed, "I'll send you something that can break the spell of the palace but I require compensation."

"But you've already taken what we value the most!" Syaoran exclaimed. That explained why she took my engagement ring…

"How about this?" Fai asked, pulling out a long staff. It was rather beautiful. It was gold with some type of blue jewels decorating it.

"Fai, are you sure?" Syaoran questioned.

"Mhm." He nodded, "It doesn't get any use anyway."

"This will do. Give it to Mokona." Mokona opened her mouth and inhaled the object. I was shocked. Where the hell did it go!? Before I had time to think of any other questions, Mokona spit out a small ball, which Syaoran caught.

"I'm coming with you." Chunhyang exclaimed.

"It will be very dangerous." Fai tried to explain.

"Sounds interesting…" I mused to myself.

"I know that! I want to come!" She tried to plead with Syaoran. He brushed her off.

"You'll stay with Princess Sakura." He began walking off towards the castle, followed by Kurogane and Fai. I debated with myself for a second before running off after them. I didn't really want to sit around and hear Chunhyang complain. Plus, this would be a good distraction from my own thoughts.

"Ah, Mai-chan, you're coming too?" Fai asked as I caught up with them.

"Mhm." I replied, "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"You could get hurt, kid." Kurogane told me. I moved in front of him, walking backwards and holding his gaze.

"Yah? I'm agile! I can fight!" I bounced slightly on the ball of my feet holding my fists up like I was about to punch someone. Before he could reply, I landed on a loose rock, which caused me to lose my balance and begin to fall backward. I cried out in shock, tensing up, and preparing to hit the ground.

"That was a close call, Mai-chan~!" a singsong voice said. I found myself face-to-face with a pair of beautiful blue eyes. God damn it. I was back in his arms again. At least he saved me from hurting myself.

"A—Ah… yah… Th—thank you, F—Fai." I stuttered as he helped me back to my feet.

"What was that about you being agile?" Kurogane mocked. I glared at him through my embarrassment. He laughed at me. I turned quickly on my left foot, lifting my right to kick him in the stomach causing him to double over in minor pain.

"I can kick like Syaoran!" I cheered, standing straight back up. As the other two men and Mokona stared at me in surprise.

"Okay." Kurogane coughed, "You can come."


	8. Chapter 8

"This is it."

"I guess we're close enough," Fai said, "It's time to put Yuuko's gift to work."

"Yah. But what do we do with it?" Kurogane asked.

"Just throw it!" Mokona explained happily, "Yah, just get it close enough and it'll take care of the rest! It just needs to touch the shield."

"Can you get it that far?" I asked shocked by how far away we still were.

"We're about to find out." Syaoran replied, throwing the ball into the air. He drew back his left leg and timed his kick perfectly. The ball went flying right into the shield causing it to crack and emit a bright light. We walked through the gates and into a dark corridor.

"Mai-chan, when did you learn to kick like what you showed us earlier?" Fai asked me after we walked for a few minutes. I smiled slightly to myself, thinking back on how many different exercise classes I had taken once our band became famous.

"Well, in my world, if you are a singer, dancer, actor, or any type of performer, you are required to look a certain way, especially if you're a girl. So, I had to stay in shape and I would always get bored rather quickly with different classes I would take to keep fit. One class I took was some type of mixed martial arts class and I really liked it. I might not be the strongest person in the world, but I know the basics of fighting." I explained. I couldn't stop my smile from fading slightly as memories of band bonding through yoga and zumba came back to me. I found myself wanting to go back to that time. Fai seemed to notice my change in attitude but didn't question me further.

"How long are we supposed to walk through this hallway?" Kurogane asked, bringing a welcomed change of subject.

"Ahh~ Are you tired, Kuro-burro?" Mokona teased.

"HEY! I DON'T SEE YOU WALKING!" Kurogane yelled as the white fur ball jumped from Fai's shoulder to mine.

"We're back where we started." Syaoran said.

"How can you tell, Syaoran? We've been walking in a straight line this entire time." I asked.

"I dropped this pebble at the entrance," He explained picking up a small stone, "I thought that this place would be confusing."

"Hyuu~ Syaoran is so smart!" Fai tried to whistle.

"What the hell is 'hyuu'?" Kurogane asked, annoyance dripping from his voice.

"I don't know how to whistle." He shrugged, moving toward the wall. He lifted one hand – as Kurogane continued bitching – and held it in front of the wall. As if a pulse of energy physically ran through him, his hair moving as if a gust of wind was blowing through it.

"There is something behind this wall." He said softly.

"You mean the lord is back there?" Kurogane asked.

"I'm not really sure. But I do sense a strong power coming from the other side of it."

"I thought you made some promise not to use your magic, Fai." He did say that earlier, after all. It was strange that he would be using it now.

"I wasn't using magic." He tried to argue, "Let's call it… intuition. Do you want to do the honors?" He handed a hammer to Kurogane. Had he been carrying that the entire time?

"Thanks. But I don't need a mallet to do that." The dark man replied, scoffing at the idea that he would need a tool to knock down a wall. He quickly punched the wall, breaking it into tiny pieces. Behind it was a large canopy, which covered a beautiful woman with long lavender hair. She slowly opened her eyes to reveal that they were jet black.

"Hello children," she spoke softly, "You've finally arrived." I got a bad feeling about this woman. She had a grace about her that seemed unnatural.

"Who are you?" Kurogane demanded.

"You humans are such like insects. Be careful of how you speak to me." She replied. _Insects_? She's calling us bugs!? How rude.

"Please forgive my friend." Syaoran said, stepping forward, "Could you please tell us where the Ryanban is?"

"You have nice eyes, child." She spoke gently, holding up her long fingernails, "But, you've asked me a question that I am not allowed to answer."

"So, does that mean if we try and continue, you might do something rough to try and stop us?" Fai asked, his smile still in place.

"That's right." She answered, flicking her wrist and changing the entire composition of the room. I found myself standing on a tall stone pillar and was suddenly uncertain of my ability to balance properly. There were large pinkish colored bubble substances floating through the air and a lake beneath us with a similar color.

"An illusion?" Kurogane asked.

"No, child. This is my magic. It's not just pretty." She threatened before flicking her wrist again and forcing the bubbles to charge at us. Kurogane, Fai, and I managed to avoid being hit, but one of the bubbles hit his sleeve causing it to steam and melt. This caught us all by surprise.

"I—It melted?" Syaoran said.

"The damage my ability causes is very real, children." The woman explained.

"So…" I began, realizing the true danger of our situation, "If we get hurt badly enough…"

"We'll die?" Fai finished for me.

"Yes." The woman laughed, causing the bubbles to charge at all of us. As one moved towards me, I leapt off of the pillar I was on and landed clumsily on one near by. I caught a glimpse of the others doing the same thing as me. I was forced to jump again and landed on one foot. I hit something solid and feared for a moment that it was one of the bubbles.

"Hyuu~ You are agile, Mai-chan." I found myself face-to-face with Fai. We had landed in the same place. Before I could reply he lifted me up and leapt on top of a tall lamp just before a bubble hit our pillar. As soon as he let go of me, I jumped to a different pillar, embarrassed. At the same time, Syaoran seemed to hit the lake and was burned by the same acid that was in the bubbles.

"Not everything you see if real, children." The woman said.

"Kuro-rin!" Fai called from the lamppost, "Break this."

"What? Why? Do it yourself!" Kurogane yelled back.

"How long do you think we can continue fighting unarmed?" He asked. With a grumble, Kurogane broke the pole in half, letting Fai have half of it and keeping the other half for his self. Not that I would know how to fight with a weapon, but it would have been nice to have something to use to defend myself! The pair began destroying the bubbles with a newfound excitement.

"Hyuu~! You did it Kuro-sama! You're so cool!" Fai teased as they popped the bubbles.

"Oh, shut up, Mage." Kurogane snapped. After another couple of minutes of dodging, fighting, and bantering, we all realized that we couldn't keep going like this.

"Syaoran, Mokona! You two go ahead." Fai spoke.

"But what about the rest of you? You won't last!" Syaoran argued.

"You should move before that foot starts to give you trouble!" He continued, "Kuro-pii will take care of it!"

"Me again1? Don't you do anything yourself!" Kurogane yelled.

"The magic seems much weaker up there." I felt myself say before I even comprehended the meaning of my words. I shocked myself and found everyone stared at me with a similar reaction, "Yah. I don't know where that came from." I said.

"She's right. You might be able to get through if you can make it that high." Fai concluded.

"So high…" Mokona chimed in, popping her head out of Syaoran's shirt.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The woman said, "But hurry it up, children."

"We'll be done soon!" Fai called back as if he was talking to an old friend.

"Alright. I'm going!" Syaoran said, jumping onto the broken lamppost that Kurogane was yelling. The older man then propelled him into the air and we watched as flew through the ceiling.

"Oh wow~" I said, impressed.

"Ah. One child escaped." The woman said, "I guess I'll have to teach the rest of you children a lesson." It suddenly started to rain. As drops hit my skin, I couldn't help but notice a slight burning sensation.

"This looks like it's getting pretty serious." Fai noted.

"I really liked these clothes too." I sighed, realizing that the water was slowly melting the edges of my clothing. With a flick of her wrist, the evil woman forced the bubbles to combine and increase in size. One moved quickly towards Fai and he tried to hit it like he had been doing, but it wasn't popping. Kurogane also noticed this and quickly hit him in the stomach, moving him out of the way.

"Yikes…" I whispered to myself as Fai whined about how Kurogane had hurt him. I tried to listen to the conversation between them and the woman, but I was busy trying not to get myself killed. It stuck me as odd, for a moment, how a day ago I would have given anything in order to die and yet, now I was fighting to live. What was I trying to live for?

The second the question ran through my mind I found myself looking at Fai. He and Kurogane were standing side-by-side plotting something. He was smiling, but then, what else was new? He had a determined look in his eye as if he knew we were about to get out of here. All of a sudden, the magician leapt forward towards the woman with a big smile on his face. This, unfortunately, distracted me for an unacceptable amount of time. I didn't see it coming, but a large bubble come from behind me, burning my back, and knocking me off of my pillar towards the lake. It hurt like hell. I braced myself to hit the acid lake and could only imagine how horrible it would hurt the second I hit the water.

The lake never came though. I hit a solid floor. Whatever they had planned must have worked or else I would've been dead.

"Mai-chan!" Fai yelled, running over to me. I struggled to get up, but moving my back in any way hurt unbearably. I felt cold air hit the now exposed skin on my back. The acid must have burnt a hole in the dress, but I could still feel a bit of clothing over my shoulders.

"At least backless dresses are in style." I joked a bit as Fai helped me to my feet, "God damn, that hurt." I looked up to see what had happened to the evil woman and found her giving Kurogane a gentle kiss. He looked shocked.

"What kind of spell are you casting now?" He demanded as Fai and I walked closer, ready to defend him.

"I was controlled by the Ryanban with that stone you destroyed. Now I'm free and will not block your way. You wanted to know where they were? Those bastards are on the top floor." She looked up for a second, as if someone were calling her.

"What is it?" Fai asked.

"Just the cowards up to their old tricks again. You'd best hurry." She told us.


	9. Chapter 9

We raced down the hallway for several minutes before my back hurt too bad to run. I paused for a moment, in hopes that the pain would subside. Fai crouched down in front of me and was met by two confused looks.

"Your injury is hurting you." He said as if that should be enough of an explanation, "Hop on my back, I'll carry you." I considered protesting for a moment, before a surge of pain rushed through me from my back. I sighed and had to leap onto his back. He was so tall it was insane. The initial impact hurt slightly hurt slightly, but once we started moving again the pain subsided.

"Th—Thank you." I said quietly as we grew closer to the top floor. He simply smiled in response. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure he even heard me.

"Can't you run any faster Kurgie?" Fai teased, as we got closer.

"Shut up! I'm running faster than you!" The man in black yelled back.

"But Kuro-puu~ He's carrying me." I chimed in.

"God damn it! Not you too!" Kurogane sighed. As Fai chuckled slightly, I couldn't help but notice the Lord's son unconscious in one of the rooms we passed. I guess Syaoran took care of him earlier. He's an amazing fighter. I definitely admired him for his skills, especially being so young.

We could hear Tomball before we got to the room. He was pleading to be spared as we arrived in the doorway.

"Well, guess we won." Fai stated before Mokona launched at Kurogane, hitting him in the face.

"YOU'RE LATE!" He yelled, "Where have you been!?"

"Sorry furball," Fai laughed, "We had our own problem to deal with." I noticed that Sakura and Chunhyang were there as well.

"It's over. Give the Princess the piece of her memory back." Syaoran said, walking closer to the scared king.

"W—Wait! If you let me keep the feather I can bring Chunhyang's mother back to life! Look at that mirror! You've got the mirror now! Please, I can resurrect her!" The elderly man pleaded.

"You killed her! My mother was trying to protect the town and you killed her! No matter what kind of power you use, the life that is life cannot be restored. No matter how much I miss her I can't see her anymore!" Chunhyang yelled, tears falling from her eyes and breaking my heart a bit. I knew exactly how she felt. There was only constant heartache. Everything reminds you of the person you lost. Especially if you are traveling with a man who is practically his twin…

"Chunhyang." Syaoran said, "Do you want revenge? If it helps you ease your pain, I will not stop you." This struck us all off guard. He would let this young girl kill a man. Despite how cruel he had been, there were other punishments besides death! I felt Fai tighten his grip on me in reaction to Syaoran's statement.

"But choose carefully," The younger boy went on, "Kill him and you will always have to live with that decision." I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. I couldn't stand to watch anyone else die.

"I don't need to. That is not what this power is for." Chunhyang responded. I was proud of her. Syaoran turned back to the Lord and he panicked once again.

"No… Don't touch me! No… Don't come any closer!" He backed up into a dark shadow.

"This is the end." A familiar voice said. Long fingernails wrapped around the evil king, pulling him backward slightly, "How dare you imprison me in this castle. Let me take him to my world, I want to repay him for letting me stay here."

"N—No! No!" The king yelled.

"It's okay, Syaoran!" Fai called out, "She's on our side now."

"Don't worry." The woman said, "I will make sure you and your son receive a royal treatment."

"H—Help!" The king yelled.

"Are you Chunhyang?" The woman asked.

"That's right." She replied.

"Your mother was a great woman. Although she passed away when she fell into the trap set by this Ryanban, she told me she had learned a lot from our battle. She's looking forward to the day when you will become more powerful than she was." She smiled at Chunhyang, "Be strong, young one. Strong enough to rival me."

"I will. I definitely will!"

"Well then, goodbye, children." They disappeared in a dark whirlwind. Fai gently set me down on the ground. Syaoran took the feather and walked over to Sakura. I watched as it floated to her, disappearing into her chest. Syaoran caught her as she fell forward.

"Shit kid, you really got burned." Kurogane said, staring at my wounds. I simply nodded.

"Ah, Mai-chan, I can make you some medicine when we get back to my home." Chunhyang explained.

"Are you okay to walk, Mai-chan?" Fai asked, worrying over me slightly. I nodded, following everyone out of the castle.


	10. Chapter 10

"How are you feeling?" Chunhyang asked me. I had been lying on my stomach for about half an hour with a creamy medicine on my back.

"Amazing~" I sang. I was a little bit drunk. Fai had brought me a bottle of some alcoholic beverage that tasted like rum. It was empty now. Chunhyang giggled a bit as she cleaned off the medicine, revealing acid burn free skin.

"You're all good!" Chunhyang told me, giving me a new shirt to put on. I changed clothes and found everyone else outside.

"Mai-chaaaan~!" Fai sang when he saw me, "They're having a party for us!"

"A party!? Let's go!" I grabbed his hand, dragging him away from the house.

"Um… I think we're going to go to bed." Syaoran explained as he, Sakura, and Chunhyang left us. Kurogane grumbled as he followed the two of us, making sure we didn't get too out of control. We made it to the center of town and heard music playing and people singing. As soon as the townspeople saw us they cheered, bringing us glasses of champagne and liquor.

Fai's Point of View

Mai was wasted. It made me laugh. She seemed so happy, dancing amongst the crowds of people. She had a natural grace about her, even in her intoxicated state.

"She really is something." I said, mostly to myself.

"She's dangerous." Kurogane told me, sternly. I looked up at him, tipsy and very confused, "You should have seen her that night we met her. It was like she was in a daze but something was controlling her. I don't like it."

"She doesn't know about her magic." I replied, my smile fading slightly, "She is very strong but has had no guidance. All of that power is just building up inside her."

"That makes sense. What still has me confused though, was that man she was engaged to. The witch told us there would be people in other worlds that would look familiar, but that was you, Fai." Damn. That samurai sure was smart.

"It certainly seemed that way. But he had a different name." I tried to throw him off. He opened his mouth to say something in response, but was interrupted.

"Kuro-puu~!" It was Mai, swaying back and forth in front of us, "Dance with me?" She didn't give him a chance to answer; she just grabbed his hands and pulled him back to where she had been a moment ago. I laughed a bit at his irritated expression and her intoxicated happiness. I found myself wishing I could always see her that happy. Her smile was so genuine and beautiful, I couldn't help but stare at her as she and the swordsmen danced. I had to admit, I was a little jealous. The song ended and everyone clapped. I watched as Mai said something to Kurogane before running off toward the band that was playing.

"She wants to sing." Kurogane said, taking a seat next to me, "Apparently there is some song she thought we would like."

"Ah… Hello everyone! If you'd permit me to, I have a song I'd like to share with you." We looked up to see Mai on the roof of a building. She was met by loud applause. She smiled, took a large gulp of some drink in her hand, and began to sing.

Some nights I stay up cashing in my bad luck

Some nights I call it a draw

Some nights I wish that my lips could build a castle

Some nights I wish they'd just fall off

But I still wake up, I still see your ghost

Oh, Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for oh

What do I stand for?

What do I stand for?

Most nights I don't know anymore...

Drums started pounding from below her and she nodded her head as she continued.

This is it, boys, this is war - what are we waiting for?

Why don't we break the rules already?

I couldn't help but notice her look at us as she sang. She looked so happy to be performing again in front of people.

I was never one to believe the hype

Save that for the black and white

I try twice as hard and I'm half as liked,

But here they come again to jack my style

That's alright

I found a martyr in my bed tonight

She stops my bones from wondering just who I am, who I am, who I am

Oh, who am I?

Well, some nights I wish that this all would end

'Cause I could use some friends for a change.

And some nights I'm scared you'll forget me again

Some nights I always win, I always win...

But I still wake up, I still see your ghost

Oh, Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for, oh

What do I stand for?

What do I stand for?

Most nights I don't know... (oh, come on)

So this is it. I sold my soul for this?

Washed my hands of that for this?

I miss my mom and dad for this?

No. When I see stars, when I see, when I see stars, that's all they are

When I hear songs, they sound like this one, so come on.

Oh, come on. Oh, come on. Oh, come on!

Well, that is it guys, that is all - five minutes in and I'm bored again

Ten years of this, I'm not sure if anybody understands

This one is not for the folks at home;

Sorry to leave, mom, I had to go

Who the fuck wants to die alone all dried up in the desert sun—?

On this line, the alcohol really seemed to kick in. She took a step forward to emphasize the lyrics, but she slipped. Before I realized it, I was off my feet, running towards her as she tumbled off of the roof. I leapt into the air, grabbing her just before she hit the ground.

"Hi there." I smiled down at her. She giggled and threw her arms around my neck.

"Good catch, Yuui~!" I tensed up a bit. How much had she had to drink? She stood up and waved to the crowding villagers who were worried about her. They all laughed and the band began to play again. She took my hand and smiled before dragging me into the group of dancers. I had to catch her once more, as she almost fell when turning back to face me. She kept laughing.

"Will you dance with me?" She asked, giggling. I couldn't help but chuckle slightly as well; we were already amongst the other dancers and my arms were around her waist. I took her right hand in my left and smiled down at her,

"It would be my pleasure." I could have sworn she was blushing, but it very well could have been because of the alcohol in her system. I spun her hesitantly, worried she would stumble over her own feet, but she was a constant surprise. She was a very graceful dancer. She felt so warm pressed up against me; I couldn't help but feel happy. The music slowed a bit and she rested her head on my chest. She was quite a bit shorter than me, but we fit so perfectly together.

"Sleepy~" she said softly as we swayed back and forth.

"Would you like to go to bed, Mai-chan?" She shook her head no. I was about to ask why when she spoke,

"I don't want this moment to end. I don't think I've ever felt this—this happy." I tried not to let her words stick with me. I did not want to allow myself to believe her. She was very drunk and very confused.

"Come on," I said, smiling down at her, "Let's get you to bed." She simply nodded. I tried to step away from her, to lead her back to Chunhyang's house, but she held my hand tightly and refused to let go. Her dark hair hid her face slightly from me, but I swore she was blushing. Her hand felt so small and fragile in mine. We walked back in silence, aside from her occasional yawn.

We were almost to the house, we could see it just up the road, when Mai suddenly stopped. I turned to face her, worried that the alcohol might have made her sick. She looked up at me, her green eyes shining in the moonlight. I was about to ask if she was all right when she quickly stood up on her tiptoes and planted her lips to mine. I froze. I wanted so badly to enjoy this moment, her lips felt so soft. But she confused me with her deceased fiancé. As if realizing that, she quickly pulled away and ran to the house. I wanted to call after her, but I found myself unable to think clearly. I stared after her, slowly bringing my hand up to gently touch my lips.

"Oh dear." I said softly as my heart beat wildly, "This can't be good."


	11. Chapter 11

Mai's Point of View

Oh my God. I felt fucking horrible. I rolled onto my side and pulled my knees up to my chest. I thought I was going to puke. What happened last night? I remember leaving the house but I don't remember coming back.

"Finally up?" I heard someone ask. I looked up to see Kurogane leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed and a small smirk on his face. He was wearing different clothes now. He was in all black with some type of red headpiece.

"What happened?" I asked, sitting up. Everything was spinning. I couldn't tell if I was hung over or still drunk.

"You apparently do not have as high of an alcohol tolerance as you thought." He chuckled.

"I feel like I got thrown off a building." Everything hurt.

"Well, you did fall off a roof." He said nonchalantly. What!? I fell off a roof?

"The fuck?" He laughed some more.

"Don't worry, the mage caught you and you seemed fine." He explained.

"Did anything else happen last night?" I asked, becoming very concerned about how I behaved in my black out state. Just as Kurogane began to speak, someone else entered the room.

"Nope! Nothing at all! We took you to bed and you went straight to sleep!" I looked up to see Fai standing there with a tall glass of water. He was in a different outfit as well. I could not see most of it because it was hidden under a long white and blue coat. In my tired state, I couldn't help but want to curl up in it. It looked so warm and fluffy. He handed me the glass of water with a smile that made me think he we lying. I didn't care too much though; I just wanted the water and more sleep. I noticed the two men exchange a look but decided to not ask. The less they spoke the less my head throbbed.

"A—ah... excuse me?" We all looked up to see Sakura poking her head into the room.

"Sakura-chan~ good morning." Fai said in his singsong voice.

"Moko-chan says we're ready to go, so Syaoran asked me to come see if Mai-chan was awake." She replied, hesitantly.

"I'm getting up, I'm sorry I'm slow… and hung over." I mumbled the last part to myself. Fai must have heard me because he chuckled slightly. I pulled myself off the futon and tried to stand on my own two feet. Unfortunately, my dizziness got the best of me and I started to fall forward. I landed on something soft and warm.

"I got you." It was Fai. Every time I fell he was there to catch me.

A—Are you okay Mai-chan?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Never drink alcohol." I replied with a halfhearted smile as Fai helped me walk outside. We saw Chunhyang, Syaoran, and several of the villagers standing around talking.

"Good morning! I wanted to thank you so much for all your help!" Chunhyang said as we walked up.

"We didn't really do anything!" Syaoran replied trying to be modest.

"We have to thank you! The medicine you gave us worked really well." Fai told her, keeping an arm around me.

"I'm glad! My mother only taught me how to make it once." She smiled, "I will practice really hard and learn to be powerful!" Sakura moved forward and grabbed her hands, smiling happily down at her.

"Absolutely." The two younger girls grinned at each other. They almost looked like they could have been sisters with those smiles.

"Mokona Modoki ready to go!" Mokona said, flying into the air.

"Ah, it's time for us to go!" Fai grinned at our new friends. Everyone looked at us confused. I had to admit, I was a little puzzled myself. I knew we had traveled to a different world through some type of tunnel but I could not remember how.

"Where are you going!?" Chunhyang asked, very startled and confused.

"There is something we have to do." Syaoran said as Mokona swallowed us up. I tensed up as we entered that lighted tunnel again. I felt Fai's arm tighten around my waist slightly, pulling me into the side of his soft coat.

"Are you alright, Mai-chan?" He whispered. I couldn't help but burry my face into his coat to make everything disappear. He held me a little tighter, rubbing my arm softly to try and comfort me. We were moving slowly for several minutes before we began to pick up speed. We were falling again. Fai's grip tightened as we fell through the cool air. We landed with a loud thud. I opened my eyes to find myself exactly as I feared I would: lying on top of Fai, my face only inches from his. His beautiful blue eyes were wide as my face turned bright red. He quickly unwrapped his arms from my waist and I rolled off of him clumsily.

"We've arrived in a new world!" Mokona sang as he fell into my lap. I looked around and saw we were in a grassy field between a lake and a forest.

"What is this place?" Kurogane asked.

"What an amazing lake." I said quietly, admiring the beauty of our new world.

"There is no sign of people around." Fai noted, standing and helping me onto my feet, "Mokona, can you sense any of Sakura-chan's feathers?"

"I detect a strong power." The white ball of fur replied, jumping to Fai's shoulder.

"Where is it coming from?" Syaoran asked, ready to run off on another adventure.

"In there." Mokona told him, pointing toward the lake.

"You're not expecting us to dive in there, are you?" Kurogane asked, irritated. Everyone was about to speak at once to reply to him when suddenly,

"Wait!" Sakura jumped forward, "Let me… Go…" She suddenly fell forward, causing Syaoran to jump and catch her.

"Sakura-chan fell asleep." Fai explained, "She was trying so hard to stay awake at Chunhyang's place." The blonde slipped off his white coat, revealing a darker blue jacket that seemed to be of lighter material, as Syaoran laid her gently on the ground. Fai put his heavy coat over the sleeping girl.

"Well, I'm going then." Syaoran said, pulling off his coat and boots.

"Be safe." I told him as he dove into the water.

"How's your hangover, kid?" Kurogane asked me. I smiled at him, pretending like I still didn't feel awful, but both men seemed to see right through it.

"Let's go find some food for you, Mai-chan!" Fai said.

"I'll stay with the girl." Kurogane told us. Fai, Mokona, and I started off into the forest. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until my stomach started growling loudly. Mokona and Fai both chuckled.

"A—Ah… sorry." I blushed, embarrassed.

"It's okay!" Mokona smiled, leaping to my arms, " Mai-chan is just hungry~! Mokona is hungry too!" I grinned down at the fur ball.

"Moko-chan, don't you think Mai-chan should smile more often?" Fai asked. I was so surprised I stopped walking. Mokona giggled.

"Fai caught Mai-chan by surprise!" The blonde turned around to see me staring at him in shock. He walked back closer to me and waved his hand in front of my face.

"Mai-chan~?" He asked. I finally snapped out of my shock.

"S—Sorry." I had to break eye contact with him. I don't know why, but I felt so embarrassed.

"Ah! Look here." Fai said looking at a bush just passed me. It held some edible berries, which the three of us devoured rather quickly. After eating, I felt much better.

"Nothing cures a hangover faster than good food." I said, leaning back against a tree and relaxing. Mokona curled up in my lap as Fai sat next to me, both of them agreeing with my statement.

"You're feeling better, Mai-chan?" The blonde asked. I nodded, happily.

"So…" I started to him all of the questions but suddenly felt uneasy being in his presence. He physically towered over me when we were standing, but sitting on the ground I felt like a child in comparison.

"So?" Fai asked, urging me to speak more. I stared at the ground, embarrassed all of a sudden.

"I'm very confused." I told him. I found myself very scared of his reaction. I didn't want him to think I was stupid for not understanding what was going on. I could feel him staring at me, waiting for me to continue.

"Ah~ I guess we haven't really had a chance to explain everything to you, have we?" Fai said, realizing what was wrong.

"Yah… It's been a pretty hectic couple of days." I replied, memories playing through my mind until he spoke again.

"Well, we started this journey not too long ago," He began to explain. I readjusted my position to where I could see him as he spoke, "Sakura-chan and Syaoran are from the same world. All of her memories were scattered in the form of feathers like the one we got from you. Kurggie was sent away by the Princess of his land and just got wrapped up in our travels; he really just wants to get back home."

"And you?" I asked when he paused.

"I'm running away." He said simply, "So, Mokona helps us transport from world to world and can sense when a feather is near by." He kept talking before I had the chance to ask him why he was running and away from what. I suppose that was another question for another day. He continued talking: "The only thing we really have to worry about is running into people we recognize."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"In different worlds there are people who look like friends or maybe even family but they are not the ones we knew. They simply have the same appearance but a different essence." He explained. That must be why he and Yuui looked exactly the same. They had to be the same person. I just knew it. They had the same… I don't even know what to call it, aura? Maybe? I felt comfortable around Fai the same way I felt around Yuui. Yuui. Did he die because Fai was there? I don't understand why he's gone. I don't understand why everything has happened like this.

"I don't understand why I'm here." I told him softly; half hoping he wouldn't hear me. I looked down, allowing my hair to hide my face and the tears that had formed in my eyes. I stared down at Mokona who had fallen asleep in my lap, hoping to distract myself from my confusion and sadness. I heard a slight shift in movement but before I could look up, I was enveloped in a tight embrace. I was shocked. My eyes widened as I tensed up and a few tears escaped.

"I'm so sorry, Mai." He said, pulling me close to him. I wanted to pull away from him. I wanted to go and hide. I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. I wanted to disappear for a while. He held me a bit tighter and I couldn't help but cry more. I allowed myself to give into impulse and wrap my shaking arms around his thin torso. He let me cry. He let me just sit there and allowed me to let out everything I needed to let out without having to say a word. He didn't question me, he didn't mock me, he just held me. He just held me and petted my head comfortingly.


	12. Chapter 12

Fai's Point of View

"Fai! Is she okay?" Mokona asked me after waking up from a nap. I stared down at the fragile girl in my arms and smiled.

"She's just tired, she fell asleep Moko-chan." I said as our guide jumped up on my shoulder.

"Her heart doesn't hurt as badly as it did before." Mokona told me.

"And how do you know that?" I couldn't help but ask.

"It's one of Mokona's 108 secret skills!" I had to laugh a bit at how proud she sounded. I felt Mai stir a bit in response to my sudden noise and movement. I became still, allowing her to go back to sleep. I knew we needed to get back to the others, but I did not want to disrupt her restful slumber. I couldn't help but notice when I checked on her last night how she tossed and turned in her sleep. It was nice to be able to see her in such a peaceful state. She really had gone through a lot. She was so strong. I wanted her to be able to rest for as long as possible.

Mai's Point of View

I felt someone brush a piece of hair out of my face, their warm fingertips grazing lightly across my cheek. I pressed my face into the palm of the mystery hand. It was so soft and warm but it quickly vanished. Groaning, I opened my eyes. It had become dark. How long had I been asleep?

"Are you awake, Mai-chan?" I heard someone ask.

"No." I replied, wanting to close my eyes and go back to sleep. I heard a chuckle as what I thought was a pillow moved slightly. Startled, I quickly pushed myself up and away from where I had been laying. I saw Fai leaning against a tree, smiling. Mokona was asleep, balanced between his shoulder and the tree.

"Good morning! I hate to wake you, but I thought we needed to get back to the others soon." He told me, picking Mokona up off his shoulder and standing up. He offered me a hand and helped me up off the ground.

"Thank you." I said, blushing at how much I enjoyed the feeling of his hand holding mine.

"I'm awake!" I was startled by the little white fur ball. Mokona jumped out of Fai's arms and landed on my shoulder.

"Good morning." I smiled down.

"Mai-chan was sleeping so soundly!" Mokona explained, "Fai wouldn't wake you until we had to! Then Mokona fell asleep too…" I giggled slightly. Fai led the way back toward the campsite as the sun continued to set.

"The fog is getting thicker." Fai pointed out.

"It's so dark!" I heard my voice say, but it wasn't me.

"We were gone for so long but we never saw a single soul." Fai continued.

"It's scary!" my voice said again. I was so confused from where it was coming from.

"Don't worry, I'm here." Fai answered.

"Mai is so happy! Fai is so brave and strong! Like a prince!" I blushed bright red at this.

"MOKONA!" I shouted, realizing she was imitating my voice. Our guide leapt off my shoulder and into Fai's arms, laughing along with him.

"Mai-chan is so embarrassed!" Mokona giggled, "Her face is all red!"

"Mokona can do a very good imitation of someone else's voice though." Fai smiled.

It's one of Mokona's 108 secret skills!" The little creature laughed as my embarrassment increased.

"What about the other 107?" Fai asked.

"It's a secret~!" Mokona teased. I had finally reached an unbearable amount of discomfort. I walked as quickly as I could past the fur ball and magician.

"Mai-chan! Wait up!" Fai called, running after me and laughing. It was at that point that we both saw a bright light emanating from where the lake was.

"What is that?" I said to myself as Fai caught up.

We got there after the light had faded at the same time as Kurogane. Apparently he had gotten bored and wandered off on his own. We found Sakura asleep near the lake and Syaoran nowhere to be found. Kurogane moved her back to Fai's coat so she would be more comfortable. We were all standing over her when we heard a splash of someone getting out of the lake. It was Syaoran, soaking wet and carrying some type of scale looking thing.

"Syaoran! Come quick!" Mokona called, "Sakura is…!" Before the fur ball could finish her sentence, Syaoran had lunged out of the water and was scrambling to the Princess' side. "She's asleep!" The fur ball finished. Syaoran fell to the ground, as if his entire body was sighing in relief.

"Phew." He said.

"Are you scared to death? This is one of Mokona's 108 special abilities! Super acting skills!"

"You really were taken by surprise." Fai said, "But let's save that skill for emergency situations only."

"Okay!" Mokona laughed.

"I think this will happen a lot." Fai spoke to Syaoran, "Sakura-chan might fall into a deep slumber again, and we might also be caught in battle again. But we will keep searching for Sakura-chan's memories, won't we? If so, you should relax a bit. Don't think about those unhappy things all the time. Otherwise, you will not be able to forget even if you want to. You can smile. You can be happy. No one will blame you for that, Syaoran-kun. Someone will feel happy for you." I knew his words were meant for Syaoran, but I couldn't help but feel like he was talking to me as well. I knew I couldn't help but feel guilty for feeling happy with these people when I was still grieving. His words made me feel relieved. I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and a painful grip had released my heart. I felt happy.

"So this is the source of the mystery power?" Kurogane asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"That means there is no feather here then." Syaoran said.

"So this was pointless." Kurogane groaned.

"But still," Sakura spoke up, "Syaoran looks so happy."

"It's because I've seen mysterious things that are unknown to people!" He sounded like a kid who had been released into a candy shop he was so excited. Without another word, Mokona opened up her mouth and dragged us to the next world.


	13. Chapter 13

"We've arrived in the next world!" Mokona exclaimed, dropping us all in a fresh bed of snow. My moment of excitement for the snow was quickly replaced by distraught as the frozen water began to seep through my clothes and cloth shoes from Chunhyang's world. We all stood up and took in our new surroundings.

"It's not my world." Kurogane groaned.

"It's much to warm to be my world." Fai smiled as I looked up at him in shock, "What is it Mai-chan?"

"Do you come from a world where hell actually froze over?" He seemed very confused my question, "S—Sorry, I just meant that I'm freezing here and your world is even colder?" He shrugged and grinned down at me. I turned to see how the others were coping with the frozen climate when a heavy piece of fabric came crashing down on my head. I looked up to see white fur covering my head and realized Fai had placed his coat around me. It startled me, not only the act of him doing something so gentlemanly, but also just how quickly the soft coat warmed me up.

"You said you were cold." He told me when he saw my confused face.

"B—But won't you get cold now?" I asked. He shook his head 'no,' his shaggy blonde hair dancing around his pale face, "Th—Thank you."

We had landed outside of a town so we decided to go there and find out if anyone had heard anything about a mysterious power and hopefully acquire some new clothes. I would kill for a pair of boots right now! Fai's coat did a wonderful job of warming my body, but I might as well be walking barefoot. I felt bad for stealing his coat too. Not to mention, since I'm so much shorter than him, the soft fabric drags a bit behind me as I walk and I worried that the snow would ruin it. Fai didn't seem to worry though. We made our way to a restaurant or bar of some sort and were seated at a table. The quickly brought us some warm cooked meat and hot beverages.

"We really stand out." Fai pointed out as I slipped off my ruined shoes and buried my frozen toes in the first dry part of Fai's coat I could find.

"Our clothes are the major problem." Syaoran said.

"Yah, we look very different from everyone here." I added in.

"Especially Kuro-tan's!" Fai giggled.

"What will we do though? We don't have any of this country's currencies." Syaoran worried as Mokona stole some of Kurogane's food, sending him into a slight rage.

"That's okay! Isn't that so Sakura-chan?" Fai replied, looking at the young princess. He took her and set her up at a table with a card game similar to poker. We stood behind her and encouraged her through several hands.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WON EVERY SINGLE TIME!" The dealer exclaimed, "ARE YOU CHEATING!?"

"We don't have time to cheat~!" Fai giggled, scooping all of Sakura's earnings into a bag; "If you're not happy about it, please take it up with the man in black over there." He explained, pointing to Kurogane who was already pissed off at Mokona.

"Good job Sakura-chan!" I smiled, as she seemed concerned by the commotion, "You got us enough money to buy some clothes so we won't freeze!" She grinned back at me. I couldn't help myself! I gave her a huge hug! She was just too cute to not want to hug. After a moment of surprise, she hugged me back and giggled. We made our way back to the table as Syaoran was asking a waiter about a legend in the Northern Country, because apparently we can get farther north with more cold weather. He began to tell the legend of the Golden Haired Princess. Apparently a bird gave her a feather and told her: '_With this you'll have many new powers.'_ The princess took the feather and shortly after her parents passed away. After that, the children of the town disappeared to the castle and never returned. Yikes. He went on to explain that it was not just a fairytale since the same thing was happening again now.

We left the restaurant shortly after that and found a cheap clothing store. I helped Sakura pick out a long pink dress with a full skirt and darker pink sash before finding a blue dress with in similar style. The sleeves, collar, and bottom of the skirt all had white ruffles for details along with a white sash around my hips. I had to admit that my favorite part of the outfit was the pair of white riding boots that kept my feet and calves warm. I didn't have a mirror to see myself in, but I felt pretty. I was curious about what my face looked like at this point in our journey. I wondered if my eyes had permanently become bloodshot from all the crying I had done. Or possibly did I look older? A trauma can age you, or so I've heard. I wondered if the scars I felt on my heart were visible on my skin.

"Mai-chan! Are you dressed yet? Everyone is waiting on you!" I heard Fai call. It drew me out of my thoughts and I tussled with my hair a bit, hoping to give it some volume without messing it up too much. I could really use a shower soon, too. I stepped out of my dressing room to find everyone in similar period clothing but different colors. Of course Kurogane was in black, Syaoran in green, and Fai in blue… shit. We matched a bit with a coloring. It was like an 1800s version of prom. I was a bit embarrassed.

"Hyuu~ Ma-cha!" Fai fake whistled, causing me to blush until I realized what he had called me.

"Ma-cha?" I questioned.

"Mhm~ I didn't want you to feel left out since Kuro-burro gets all the nicknames!" I couldn't help but giggle at his explanation.

"As long as you stop making them up for me." Kurogane groaned.

"Don't worry Kuro-tan! I'll still have enough creativity for you as well!" he laughed running away before the taller man could hit him. Syaoran paid for our clothing and we made our way to the Northern Country.


	14. Chapter 14

It did not take nearly as long as I thought it would to get to a town called _Spirit_. The entire time we walked it did not stop snowing. I had to keep the hood of my cloak up in order to keep my hair from becoming soaking wet.

"This place has a weird feel to it." Kurogane said.

"Perfect for the story we heard earlier." Fai replied.

"So you actually believe the old man's fairytale?" The man in black asked him.

"Well, it is about a magical feather after all, and from what we've seen Sakura-chan's feathers do, I wouldn't be surprised."

"But Mokona isn't sensing any feathers." Mokona said, sadly, jumping from Sakura's arms to mine.

"Yah, but still. It couldn't hurt anything to look into it, right?" Syaoran asked. I found it funny how he could sound so mature and yet, so childlike at the same time.

As we walked into town, everyone shut their doors and windows as if they were rejecting us entirely from their town.

"Well, that's not very nice." I said, feeling a little rejected by perfect strangers.

"They're not exactly sending us a friendly welcome are they?" Fai noted.

"Maybe they're just scared, or cold." Kurogane grumbled.

"But if we can't get anyone to talk to us, how will we learn about the feather?" I asked.

"If we could just get someone to tell us where the castle is, that'd be a good start." Syaoran pointed out as we walked further inside the town. I stayed in between Fai and Kurogane, feeling safe between the two of them. Fai had an aura that made me feel comfortable and I knew Kurogane was strong and could protect us if need be. It was a smart choice because soon villagers holding riffles and other weapons surrounded us. I felt Fai gently grab my hand as if to reassure me that we were going to be all right.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked, just as startled and afraid as I was.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" The leader of the group with a mean looking face demanded.

"We uh… We're writing a book." Syaoran explained. Well that caught me more off guard than the villagers but I did my best not to show my surprise.

"What?" The leader asked, not believing him.

"Yah, we're traveling around different countries studying old legends and strange events and we're using what we find out to write a book on the subject." The young boy continued to explain, sounding more and more like he knew what he was talking about.

"Really? A kid like you?" The leader was skeptical.

"No, he's writing it!" Syaoran said, motioning to Fai.

"Oh, yes. I'm the author." The blonde smiled, going along with the lie, "The kid is my assistant and this little girl is my baby sister," He motioned to Sakura, "This man is here is just tagging along," He pointed to Kurogane who seemed to have a problem with his identifier, "And this lovely woman," Oh shit, it was my turn. I worried a bit about what he would identify me as, but he simply said: "My fiancé." What!?

I had to force a loving smile to hide my complete shock of having to pretend to be Fai's fiancé. I guess it made sense since we were already holding hands. Or was that his plan from the start!? He couldn't have realized this was going to happen, could he? I had to stop letting my mind race and just play along until we left this world.

"Gentlemen, please." A man with long black hair tied back in a ponytail said appearing amongst the crowd. He wore a long dark blue coat and small glasses that perched on his nose. I couldn't tell what, but there was something off about him to me.

"Dr. Kyle!" The leader said, shocked. So he was a doctor? Of medicine maybe? Maybe my instincts were off and he was fine, but I couldn't shake this feeling I had.

"These people are just travelers and do not realize the gravity of our situation. Calm down." It was nice to have someone on our side in this situation. The doctor offered to take us in while we stayed in their town, which was greatly appreciated seeing as it was still freezing cold! We started off down the road towards the doctor's home, Fai's hand laced in mine the entire time.


	15. Chapter 15

We made it back to Dr. Kyle's home and I had never been so relieved to be out of the cold. I sat on the couch between Fai and Sakura, leaning lovingly against Fai to keep up our fiancé act. It was odd to be acting like I used to with Yuui but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it, especially the warmth that radiated off of him. I was still a bit cold. He wrapped one arm around my shoulders, pulling me against his chest and smiling down at me.

"Thank you for letting us stay here." Syaoran said to the doctor.

"Please don't mention it. This place used to be an inn. There are many vacant rooms." Before anyone could thank the doctor again, someone burst through the front door yelling:

"What is the meaning of this!? Bringing outsiders here at a time like this!" Fai held me closer as if out of instinct. A tall man with dark hair and fancy clothing stood in the doorway followed by a shorter, timid looking man.

"Please calm down, Mr. Glosam!" the man pleaded.

"How can I be calm at a time like this!?" he was in a rage.

"These people are here doing research on legends around the world, they might be able to help." The doctor told Mr. Glosam.

"These vagabonds that came out of no where?! What do they know?"

"That's why I want them to stay here, so I can find out." When the doctor said that, something inside me stirred, making me feel very uncomfortable. For an instant I felt like I was a prisoner rather than a guest in a home.

"Make sure you don't let them out after dark." Mr. Glosam said, leaving the house. That didn't do much to settle my uneasiness. After shutting the door, Dr. Kyle explained that those men were a dominant landowner and the mayor.

"It seems we have come at a troubling time." Fai pointed out.

"Yes, we have already lost 20 children, we have looked very hard but we haven't been able to find any of them." The doctor explained. That broke my heart a little. Those poor children. They must be so scared and so alone. I didn't pay much more attention to the conversation and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep against Fai's chest.

I wasn't asleep very long before I awoke in a warm bed. I groaned a bit, my head aching from consciousness and my skin feeling dirty.

"Ah~ You're awake Ma-cha!" I heard a happy-go-lucky voice say. I tensed in shock for a moment before relaxing and sitting up to see Fai standing near the foot of the bed. I stretched a bit, still feeling exhausted but desperately wanting a shower.

"Good morning, Fai~" I said, getting out of bed. "Where is everyone?"

"Sakura-chan fell asleep shortly after you, so Dr. Kyle showed all of to our rooms. I hope you don't mind, Ma-Cha, but since he thinks we're engaged, we have to share a room." Fai explained, "But don't worry!" he continued, noticing the shocked look on my face, "I'm going to sleep on the floor!" I finally stood up and noticed that he had placed a bunch of blankets and his coat on the floor as a makeshift bed.

"Don't be silly!" I protested, "You sleep up here! I've been asleep for awhile, I'll sleep on the floor." He shook his head.

"Nope~!" He said simply. I sighed, finding no way to argue with him.

"Do you know if there is somewhere that I can bathe?" I asked. He nodded, pointing to a closed door.

"There's a rather nice bathtub in there." He smiled, "There are some towels in there too!" I thanked him before walking into the bathroom and drawing a hot bath. It took some effort to get the dress off, but slipping into the warm water was the worth the effort. I slid down the marble tub and let my head completely submerge, soaking my hair and feeling much cleaner. The steam cleared my mind while the soap washed away the past week or so of my life.

After awhile of relaxation, I heard a knock on the door. I sank down farther into the tub, hiding myself from whoever was knocking. The door opened just a crack and I found my heart rate increase rapidly.

"Don't worry! I'm not looking!" Fai's voice called from behind the door. I watched as his pale hand moved through the door holding a rather large, black, button up shirt, "Kuro-burrow thought you'd like to borrow this to sleep in, it looks a lot more comfortable than that big dress~!" The blonde laughed, struggling to hang the shirt on the door handle without seeing it. I giggled a bit.

"Thank you, Fai. You can just throw it on the floor!" I told him. I heard him chuckle slightly before tossing the shirt into the bathroom and closing the door. I stayed in the bath until my heartbeat slowed back down to normal before getting out. I dried off; toweling drying my hair off the best I could, before slipping on the large shirt. I giggled a bit at my reflection in the mirror. The shirt went down to just above my knees and sleeves extended far past my hands. I looked like a child who was playing dress up with her father's clothes. I brushed out my hair with a fancy comb that I found before walking out of the bathroom.

I saw Fai standing near the window, looking out at the snow. His usual smile was replaced with a look as if he were reminiscing or even a little homesick. While he was lost in thought, I took the opportunity to sneak into the makeshift bed he had made on the floor so that he would be forced to sleep in the real bed. I was just about to pull the blankets over me when I heard Fai turn around.

"Oh no you don't!" He laughed, moving quickly to scoop me off the ground. I gasped in shock and squirmed to get out of his grasp.

"Noooo!" I whined as he set me down on the bed. He closed his eyes and smiled at me, which gave me the opportunity to grab him by his shoulders and flip him over me to where he was lying on his back on the bed. Before he had the chance to get up, I moved over him, straddling his hips. His eyes shot wide open in surprise.

"You're sleeping here!" I told him firmly, noticing the slight blush on his face. Before I could get up to move to the floor, he flipped me over onto my back next to where he had been and held me down by my shoulders, his face only an inch from mine. Now it was my turn to blush.

"Then I guess we'll just have to sleep together." He said suggestively. My eyes grew wide before he smiled, laughed lightly, and got off of me, "You should see your face Ma-cha~!"

"Sh—Shut up!" I snapped, turning onto my side to where my back was to him. He didn't say anything back; he chuckled before turning off the lights and settling into bed next to me. It was a little awkward, but it felt nice to have someone next me as I fell asleep.

"Good night, Ma-chan~" He whispered, lying very close to me.

"G—Good ni—night." I stuttered, trying to lie as close to the edge of the bed as possible. Just as I was almost asleep I felt an arm move tentatively around my waist, pulling me more toward the middle of the bed, to where my back was against something warm. I was too tired to fight it, so I simply allowed myself to give into sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Short chapter :) another one in the works!

_I had to be dreaming. I was back home and everything seemed too normal. I was lying in bed with Yuui and he was looking down at me lovingly the way he used to. _

_ "My love." He said softly, brushing some hair out of my face. I couldn't move, but somehow I wasn't scared. _

_ "How are you here?" I managed to ask. _

_ "I'm channeling – I guess he's going by Fai? – Fai's magic." He replied, "Now, I don't want you to get your hopes up and think this is all some sign that I'm still alive somewhere, I'm sorry my love, but I really am gone. There were a few things I needed to tell you about though." Immediately, a million questions raced through my mind but before I got the chance to speak, Yuui's lips were on mine. _

_ "Wh—What was that for?" I asked when he pulled away after a second._

_ "You had that face you always get before you go on a talking spree." He chuckled, "Ah~ don't pout! I just have a lot to say and only a little bit of time." _

_ "Okay…" _

_ "You don't have to worry about me, okay? I really am in a better place and I truly want you to be happy." He started, "The others are safe as well. __**You know who**__ left our world when he found out you had been transported away by the Dimensional Witch. He is trapped on Fai's world. Did they explain to you that they all are traveling because of wishes they had?" _

_ "Yes, sort of…" I answered._

_ "Fai's wish was to never return to his world, so the Dimensional Witch will do everything she can to keep your group from there."_

_ "Thank God." I sighed, relieved. _

_ "There's more." _

_ "What is it, Yuui?" _

_ "You need to ask Fai to teach you magic." He told me. _

_ "What?" I asked. Was he insane? Magic? I thought you had to, you know, be a magician to use real magic. Not to mention we came from a world where magic didn't exist and I've never seen this man actually use magic! How do I know he's not a fraud? _

_ "He's not a fraud, I can vouch for him. And no, you didn't say that aloud, it's your dream, your thoughts aren't really private, love." He said, "But you need to convince him to teach you. He took a vow never to use magic without a tattoo that he gave to the witch as his price. He can teach without actually using any of his power."_

_ "I don't know if I can even learn, I'm just an ordinary person, Yuui." I told him._

_ "You've never been ordinary, darling. You have magic deep inside of you that has been suppressed since you were born. I'm almost out of time, I can't explain any more." He said sadly._

_ "W—What? Yuui…" _

_ "I'm sorry, my love. Please, be happy and live a long, wonderful life." He said, kissing my forehead. _

_ "Please don't go…"He simply smiled down at me._

_ "Fai will help you, trust him. And trust your instinct. He has a lot of secrets but he and I are more alike than you think. Just help him the way you helped me. It's okay to find love again, I want you to be happy." _

_ "What—?" I tried to ask for more information but he cut me off by kissing me. _

_ "Goodbye my love." He whispered against my lips, kissing me one last time. _


	17. Chapter 17

"N—No… p—please come back…" I tried to plea with him to return to me.

"Mai, Mai wake up!" some said moving to where I was forced to sit up. I opened my eyes, feeling a dampness around them, to see Fai holding me up and trying to make sure I was okay. He moved one of his large, soft, hands to brush away some tears and move a strand of hair out of my face. I tried to open my mouth to speak, but more tears escaped and I could do nothing but move forward and throw myself into Fai's chest and hug him while I cried.

"Shh, it's okay Mai." He whispered, gently rubbing my back comfortingly. I don't know how long we stayed there, but by the time I had calmed down enough to get up we could hear Syaoran and Kurogane outside our room. I pushed away from him and disappeared into the bathroom to compose myself. I could hear Fai knocking softly on the door, trying to get through the locked door to make sure I was okay.

"I'm fine." I said, finally able to speak, "I'll be out in a minute."

"Okay… I'll go join the others then." He sounded very concerned. I knew I would have to tell him about my dream eventually, especially if I needed to ask him to teach me magic… I distracted myself from my thoughts by changing back into my outfit from yesterday. I grabbed the shirt Kurogane leant me and walked out into the hallway to find the three men looking out the window at the snow. I couldn't help but notice the tallest of the trio was standing there fully dressed minus a shirt. I was stunned for a moment at just how muscular he was. After a moment of staring, I cleared my throat so they would know I was there. They all turned to look at me.

"Put this on before you catch your death, dummy." I said, tossing the shirt at Kurogane.

"Geeze, kid. I was just trying to help you out." He replied, sounding annoyed.

"I'm not a kid!" I snapped, "I'm twenty-three years old, thank you very much. In some ancient societies, I would already be a mother of several children." The three men just stared at me, Fai chuckling, but the other two gaping in disbelief.

"Um… Good morning." A soft voice came from down the hall.

"Good morning Sakura-chan!" Fai smiled.

"Morning." Everyone else chimed.

"What's wrong?" Syaoran asked, noticing the princess was a bit off.

"Last night… I saw…" Before she could finish we heard someone yelling for their child outside the window.

"Please!" A mother yelled as we got outside, "My child is gone! I swear I locked the door! It was opened from the inside but I told her not to leave the house!" It broke my heart a bit to see the mother so panicked.

"It's true that the Golden-Haired Princes… that wasn't a dream, then?" Sakura said.

"What's that!?" the man who greeted us yesterday yelled, charging up to Sakura only to be blocked by a protective Syaoran.

"Last night, in the snow, I saw a woman with golden hair wearing a white dress. She walked by with blackbirds flying around her." Sakura explained.

"It is the Golden-Haired Princess who kidnapped my child!" The mother yelled while many other townsmen spoke up about the return of the princess.

"That's enough!" A booming voice sounded above the crowd. We all turned to see Mr. Glosam had appeared.

"Is there a child missing again1?" Dr. Kyle yelled joining the crowd.

"Did these strangers leave the house last night?" Mr. Glosam asked.

"Because I never know when a patient might show up, I sleep right by the door, if anyone were to leave I would hear them. They did not leave the house." Dr. Kyle explained. I knew that he was vouching for us, but I couldn't shake this bad feeling I had about him.

"There's no point in staying here and arguing," The mayor declared, "Let's start searching for the children!" That man who greeted us continued to stare at us as if he knew for sure we were the kidnappers. We started to head back to the house with Dr. Kyle for breakfast when I noticed Syaoran staring at several blackbirds in the tree. Strange kid.

We sat down to eat minutes later and everyone was talking about Sakura seeing the princess, but I was too busy with my own thoughts to pay them much attention. Why did Yuui come to me last night? Why now? Why not that first night when I thought I couldn't breathe without him? I was just beginning to feel like I was going to be okay, but now, he's all I can think about again. A small part of me just wants to die to be with him again, but I knew I couldn't do that to the friends I had made, nor to those I still loved back home. On top of all of this, Yuui wants me to learn magic. How do you ask someone you practically just met to teach you something you thought was complete fiction? Maybe it was all just one big fucked up dream. What if I ask Fai and he says no? Or even worse, what if he says yes and then it turns out it was all just a bad dream and I really don't have any magical abilities. I feel like the latter is the more likely scenario.

"May I have a look at that history book?" I heard Syaoran ask, pulling me from my thoughts. I finally looked up from pushing my food around my plate to find everyone staring at Syaoran except for Fai who was looking worriedly at me. The blonde put his hand on my shoulder comfortingly and I could sense that he still wanted to talk to me to make sure I was okay. I looked up at him and forced out a smile to try and ease his worries. The concern did not fade from his eyes as he smiled back.


	18. Chapter 18

We trudged through the snow that afternoon, following Syaoran as he read through the history book. He managed to lower his head to avoid running into several tree branches and skillfully stepped over roots without really noticing them.

"Did you see that?" Sakura asked happily as she observed his actions.

"Nice dodge~" Fai noted as Mokona popped out of Kurogane's shirt. We soon found ourselves standing across from a large decaying castle. The river that flowed in front of it was moving very quickly and there was no bridge to get across to it.

"There's no way to cross that river." Kurogane stated.

"Especially not with children in tow." Fai added. I couldn't help but continue to stare at the castle. I felt the urge to keep walking towards it despite the river but I forced myself not to. I almost felt as though I was being called to by something in the castle.

"So how did anyone get into the castle back when people still lived there?" Sakura asked.

"This bridge must have been connected to it then." Syaoran explained. Just as I was about to take a step closer to the water, Fai looked up past me towards the top of a small cliff.

"Seems we have company." He said, distracting me enough to break my focus on the destroyed building. I looked up to see Mr. Glosam on a horse staring at the castle.

"What is he doing here?" I asked, suddenly feeling very strange about this entire situation.

"Who knows?" Fai replied.

All of us feeling cold and confused, we decided to head back to town for the time being. Sakura, Syaoran, Fai, and Kurogane walked a bit faster than I was capable of in my half frozen state. Fai waited a moment for me to catch up then walked at a slower pace with me.

"Are you okay?" The blonde asked once I had caught up.

"Mhm," I nodded, "Just cold and a bit worried I guess…"

"For the children?" I nodded, not wanting to explain the strange feeling I had on the bridge or my dream just yet, "We'll find them." The magician smiled down at me, placing a hand on my head and petting my hair slightly in a comforting way. I stepped a bit closer to him, leaning my head against him as we walked.

"Thank you, Fai." I said as he wrapped his long arm around my shoulders. I blushed slightly, thinking how we must have looked walking together like that, but at the moment I didn't care. I felt so comfortable and so much warmer. We stayed like that the entire way back to town. When we got back to Dr. Kyle's home, Fai dropped his arm from my shoulders and gently took my hand in his so that I could move more freely but we could still maintain the _fiancé _ruse. We saw Dr. Kyle talking to a young girl outside but walked off right as we got there.

"Welcome back." The doctor greeted.

"Who were you talking to?" Syaoran asked.

"A very close friend of the little girl who disappeared this morning." He explained, sadly, "Her mother was worried about her. She wouldn't eat or sleep, still in shock I'm afraid."

"That poor girl…" Sakura said.

We walked back inside the house and up to the room Syaoran and Kurogane shared. I sat on the bed next to the swordsman with Mokona while Fai asked the younger boy about the book.

"Look fur ball! My coat is not an obstacle for you to crawl through!" The ninja said angrily trying to hit Mokona with a pillow. The white creature jumped around and eventually landed in my lap. Before Kurogane could realize that, though, the pillow in his hand came down hard on my head, knocking me over.

"God damn it!" I yelled, as I was about to fall off the bed. Kurogane froze, a look of terror and regret on his face as I looked up at him, pissed off – in a joking manner, but I wasn't about to tell him that.

"I—I'm so—" he started.

"Give me the pillow." I said sternly. Without a word, the swordsman handed over the pillow and tried once more to apologize.

"Uh-oh~" I heard Fai chuckle slightly, he had figured out what I was doing. Syaoran just looked concerned as he sat there with the closed book in his lap. Kurogane looked over at the magician, confused, as I swung the pillow back and then forward again right into the side of his face. The force of the blow knocked the rather large man off the bed and straight onto the floor. The stunned look on his face while he tried to sit back up right was too much for me to handle. I couldn't help but laugh myself, doubling over as the amusement overtook me. Mokona was enjoying it too as she laughed from my shoulder with me.

"Oh that does it!" Kurogane yelled, a playful look of anger on his face. He leapt off the floor grabbing the pillow from Syaoran's bed and lunged at me.

"Ahh! Fai! Syaoran! Help!" I laughed more as I jumped off the bed and ran for the other two men. As I ran from Kurogane around the room, Syaoran took the opportunity to excuse himself and go check on the princess.

I hid behind the magician as Kurogane tried to hit me again with the pillow. Fai and I both ducked at the same time as the swordsman swung.

"Now, now, Kuro-pii! Don't be so mean!" Fai chuckled as we went in two different directions to confuse him. Unfortunately, he was still after me as his prime target. I hit him in the side with the pillow as I tried to run past him. As I ducked around him, though, he wrapped an arm around me lifting me off the ground.

"Ahhh!" I gasped in shock. I was quickly thrown threw the air towards the bed. Midair, I hit something warm but continued to move as I took it with me. I laughed as I finally hit the bed while someone laughed next to me.

"A—Are you okay Ma-cha?" Fai laughed, lying next to me with an arm wrapped around my waist.

"Yah!" I said laughing too hard to get up.

"Ugh. Y'all are insane." Kurogane sighed, leaving the room. I rolled onto my side, facing the blonde man, still giggling slightly.

"Are you okay?" I asked, trying to stop laughing.

"Yes~" Fai replied, looking happily at me, "I love it when you smile." I blushed as he placed a warm hand on my cheek. I broke eye contact with him, extremely embarrassed, for a moment before looking back at him, finding that he had moved a little bit closer. I felt my heart rate skyrocket and couldn't help but feel that he was going to kiss me. With his arm around my waist and his hand on my cheek, I almost found myself wanting him to kiss me.

"F—Fai…" I said softly, unsure of what to do.

"Yes~?" He replied, his voice sending a shiver down my spine, surprising me slightly.


	19. Chapter 19

"F—Fai…" I said softly, unsure of what to do.

"Yes~?" He replied, his voice sending a shiver down my spine, surprising me slightly. Before I could figure out what to do next, my stomach growled loudly, causing my face to turn a dark shade of red.

"A—Ah… sorry…" I said, pulling away slightly.

"Maybe we should go get some dinner?" He asked, smiling his usual smile and getting off the bed.

The rest of the evening was kind of a blur. I was a bit shocked, embarrassed, and very confused. I don't remember much of dinner because I was busy lost in my thoughts about wanting Fai to kiss me. I didn't even react when Dr. Kyle informed us that we would have to be locked into our room for the night. My heart rate had just barely slowed after that but I knew it would take a lot for me to calm down and continuing to think about it wasn't helping. I was sitting on the bed in our room, still lost in thought, when Fai came out of the bathroom.

"Ahh~ such a nice bath." He sighed happily. I looked up at him and blushed. He was wearing nothing but his pants and a towel around his neck to dry his hair. I turned my back to him, trying to hide my embarrassment.

"F—Fai! Y—you're so indecent!" I told him, covering my face with my hands. Suddenly, I felt someone move my hair away from my face and whisper in my ear,

"Do I make you nervous, Ma-cha?" Fai asked, sending shivers down my spine.

"N—No!" I replied quickly, trying to will myself to move but finding myself frozen in place. He chuckled slightly, his breath hitting my neck and making my heart skip a beat. I turned my head to look at him, finding his face mere centimeters from mine. I could feel the heat from his body radiating off of him. My breath caught in my throat and I couldn't help but glance down at his lips. All I would have to do is move a tiny bit and we would kiss.

"You're so cute when you're nervous." He said sounding serious. My eyes grew wide and I didn't know what to do.

"I—I should go take a bath…" I replied, finally moving away from him. I made my way quickly to the bathroom, only turning back to look at him once I made it to the door. He was still sitting on the bed, trying to dry his hair with the towel, and staring after me with a suggestive smile on his face. I shut the door quickly as my face heat up once more. I pressed my back against the door and took a deep breath. I wanted to kiss him. I couldn't help but think about that fact throughout my entire bath. It scared and excited me. I had been in my previous relationship for so long that I had forgotten what it was like to be at the beginning of a relationship.

I didn't get out of the bath until I had calmed myself down enough to behave like a normal person again. I dried off and found Fai's shirt folded up on the counter. He must have left it for me since I would have had nothing else to wear for the night. I smiled to myself as I slipped the soft fabric on over my head. This shirt was a bit shorter, hitting just above mid-thigh, but it was much softer than Kurogane's. I couldn't help but blush as I inhaled and my senses were overwhelmed by Fai's scent. I rolled up the sleeves to where my hands were visible, before walking out of the bathroom. I found Fai on his back on the bed with his eyes closed.

"Fai?" I said softly, moving toward the bed. He didn't reply. I crawled onto the bed and examined him closer. His breathing was slow and even. He was asleep. I sat down, leaning over him, and brushed some of his soft, blonde, hair out of his face. I continued to stare down at his face, biting my lip nervously. I found myself leaning down closer to him, staring at his lips. Just one kiss. Then I can calm down and get over this madness. I moved a bit closer, my heart beating wildly in my chest. Just one kiss…

"M—Mai?" I heard Fai say, sounding sleepy and confused.

"A—Ah… I'm sorry!" I said, trying to move away, quickly, but Fai was faster and moved to place a hand behind my head. He pulled me down to where my lips were pressed against his. My eyes shot wide open in surprise, but after a moment, the shock wore off and I kissed him back. My heart skipped a beat as fireworks went off in my brain. It was a kiss like any other I had ever had in my entire life. After a long moment, I pulled away; my entire body was shaking with excitement.

"Mai…" he whispered, his lips still a few centimeters from mine, "Am I dreaming?" I giggled slightly at how cute he was.

"Nope~" I replied. His smile grew as he became a bit more awake.

"Good." He said happily, brushing a piece of hair away from my face.

"W—We should p—probably go to sleep…" I told him, blushing slightly.

"Probably~" He nodded. I tried to move away from him, to lie down and go to sleep, but couldn't because he pulled me close to him. For a moment, I wanted to fight it but I gave in and rested my head on his bare chest, listening to his heartbeat race. As it slowed, the sound lulled me to sleep.


End file.
